Chilo Phragmitellus Moth

This species is one of those moths known as the ‘Veneers,’ and is popularly termed the Wainscot Veneer. It is one of the largest of the family Chilida.

Fig. 219.-Phragmitellus-Enlarged one-half.

Its fore wings are long, narrow, and pointed at the tip. They are of a pale ochreous brown colour, with a row of small black dots along the hind margin.

The caterpillar is pale grey, with brown stripes; and the head and second segment are yellowish brown. It feeds on the common reed (Phragmites) in the autumn, and hybernates till the following spring, when it resumes its feeding.

This insect is rather local, but may be searched for in all marshy places where reeds abound.